My doorman just brought a package of blogger kryptonite, aka the Acer Ferrari laptop tricked out with Microsoft Vista and Office 2007. Before the recent brouhaha broke out, I was going to do a simple review, and then send the machine back to Microsoft. As I told InternetNews.com, “Frankly, I need another laptop like I need another hole in my head.”
If you have a tricked out MacBook Pro with Parallels, you don’t even need a Ferrari. I will buy Vista when it comes out, and upgrade the WinXP on my MBP, just so I can make sure everything works all across the platform.
Given that I am no Pete Rojas or Walt Mossberg, why would anyone read my review of a laptop? The only thing I thought that was worth checking out was Vista’s networking features, and Outlook’s VoIP capabilities. Regardless, the box sits here ready to be shipped back, unless of course my readers decide otherwise. Take the poll, and let me know. You have the entire weekend to decide.
This is my last post for today, so folks have yourself a Happy New Year!
How about doing the review and donating the laptop to a local school? Or selling it and donating the money to charity?
You should definately forward it to me for review…then send it back.
sure that is an option. donating it to charity. i think it be safer if microsoft did that. don’t you think?
Just give it away to one of your readers through a contest. I believe Microsoft said this was Ok, at least that’s what I heard them telling other receivers of the laptops.
This way someone gets new shinny laptop that wants it for the holidays.
Send it off to a lesser-known technology blogger (like myself) and we will review it! After that you may control its fate. Plus you’ll help build my pub and Microsoft will get its review! Win-win for all.
Oh, fine, OM! Delegate your ethical dilemmas to your readers. I guess that’s what social media is all about. 😉
My question is this: Since the laptop give-away (lend-away?) was co-sponsored by AMD, how come all the mud is landing on Microsoft and Edelman? How did AMD earn a pass in this brouhaha?
send it back and say no thank you…
I’d be angry with Microsoft for increasing my tax liability with a machine that won’t even run OS X.
“Blogger Kryptonite” is a very good description of the laptop. What a fiasco it’s turned into.
I’m still wondering if there would’ve been such a storm had Apple sent out Macbook Pros to bloggers. Probably not…
Please do a review and then sell the laptop on ebay and donate the proceeds to an open source project of your choice.
Do the review and send it back to Microsoft.
I don’t think it is proper to give it away, even to/for charity.
Sure Microsoft’s intentions are crazy…but -you- are a journalist. Take the high road. Do a 100% inbiased and proper review and send it back to them.
Respectfully, Dorian
…or, UNbiased. lol…
Maybe give it away to a lucky commenter?
hey Om, give it to a school.-
Om, when was the last time you reviewed a laptop with any kind of OS installed for the express purpose of keeping your hard-earned readership updated? Never, you say? So why would you start now? Does being on the A(for Ass) blogger list suddenly imbue you with reviewing-writing credentials? I think not. So what was the point of sending you the ACER? More buzz? Invite you to take your first step down a slippery slope of ethical behaviour? It’s suddenly “be nice to Om” week? Let’s call it for what it is. A poorly thought out PR exercise which brings credit to no one, and let’s all see just how thick some bloggers can be when Santa Claus calls early. Repeat after me: “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”
Don’t donate it – just get it out of your sight ASAP and then stand in the shower and soap all over. This is the second PR blooper from Edelman and you want no part of it, Om, except to publicly say, “I want no part of it.” Of course, your view may be the opposite of mine. It’s just that I need to pay heed to ethical practice day-in, day-out lest I appear before registration boards, so I am keenly aware of day-to-day ethical practice.
I got a kick out of Edelman’s blogging honcho explaining laptops were sent, rather than CDs, because most ‘influential’ bloggers used Macs, not Windows.
I’m split on whether to suggest bloggers keep or return the machines. If Edelman is correct and they sent 90 laptops at $2,400 a pop, that’s over $200K for this experiment. Would be an expensive lesson if all these machines were kept (or given away) and few reviews were written.
But even if reviews were written, they would be based on an experience few regular Vista users will encounter. More copies of Vista will be installed on Dells or HPs than some tricked out $2K laptop. Sort of like writing a review of a VW Rabbit by driving, well, a Ferrari.
My vote: write the review, noting it is not typical, then donate the machine to a school trying to get by on some old Apples.
Ed
Whats the horsepower output on this Ferrari? And please tell it comes with the Ferrari F1 paddle shifting?!? I have to be able to click clack at starbucks when I’m scrolling Gigaom.
Send it to me, I will review it, send you the info and you can publish it
I think you should hold a contest for your readers and oublish a review and then as a condition of winning is get the reader to do a email interview with you on thier thoughts .
Om – this is the second time recently you have pulled this garbage with your readers (the other was with the Zune — another Microsoft product coincidentally?).
Either review this stuff or send it back (couldn’t you have told them no before they sent it?), but please stop trying to use your readers to guide your conscience.
If you need personal guidance ask a friend privately or your mother, don’t ask us.
If you decide to review it then make sure you have a bold disclaimer up front. You are an experienced journalist, you should know what’s right and wrong here. The fact that you keep asking your readers to help show you the way considering your experience and background seems like your way of wanting to be part of the story when it’s making you look seriously like you don’t know where your own ethical boundaries lie.
Put away the waffles. Please.
How about giving it back to your doorman so he can give it to his kids (or grandkids as the case may be). At least someone who needs it will get something out of the machine.
If it were me, I’d probably keep it. I mean, you clearly have a computer, so you’re set, but I’m one of those kids that still has to go to the library on campus to do papers. It’s rough, especially since I have to do a 20-minute drive to school, anyway. I say give it a thorough review with an open mind, then have a little contest.
Why do you keep asking us if you should review stuff you’ve been sent? I added you to my list of feeds about the time you were sent the Zune, so maybe I should read through your old stuff and see if that’s just your style.
If Microsoft had sent me the thing, I’d not have to ask anybody anything; I’d review it and make it my main desktop, but I’ve no plans to tote anything around that hasn’t got a digitizer.
It’s not a big deal. It’s a loan. It’s par for the course for tech and gadget reporting. How else is anyone supposed to review anything?
Donate or gift it in a contest, but don’t send it back. 😉
Review, why not. But why not then load the thing with Ubuntu, and see how that compares?
If you didn’t receive the Acer Ferrari 5000 don’t even think about writing a review. The lower-end Acer Ferrari 1000 rates a 2.8 (out of 5.9) Windows Experience Index with Vista. According to Microsoft’s own explanation of the Index, 2.8 doesn’t qualify for preloading Vista. (See http://oakleafblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/microsoft-gives-bloggers-sub-aero-28.html).
–rj
P.S.: I don’t know what the ratio of 1000s to 5000s was.
TDavid,
thanks for the comment.
here is what i wrote, in case you missed it. “Before the recent brouhaha broke out, I was going to do a simple review, and then send the machine back to Microsoft.”
i think the conscience part is pretty clear.
the question i am asking is not about keeping the laptop, instead, if you want to read a review or my thoughts on the OS and Office 2007. Especially now that everytime you read a blogger review of vista, you wonder.
anyway thanks for your comment, makes things pretty clear. 🙂
Donate it, or auction it to your readers and donate the proceeds.
Is there an option to receive your copy of Windows Vista attached to a brick of $100 bills?
What I’m getting at here is that the problem is not that Microsoft is bribing everyone, its that Microsoft can really afford much better bribes than Acer Laptops. Acer? Bill Gates would have his IT staff set aflame if they tried to give him an Acer, and who would blame him?
Steve Jobs is probably laughing his ass off. Seriously, whichever Microsoft VP is in charge of “blogger gratuities” needs to be reassigned. Maybe they can find someone to do a better job from the Office team?
I wish i had the money to afford such a decent laptop. I would do anything to be able to afford Windows Vista Ultimate as currently my computer is as good with Windows Vista as an anchor. I probably will not afford a new pc for many years. Why could microsoft never give me one? If anyone wants to donate me one i will be more than happy to arrange shipping details.
When you in need of a notebook or computer to work with, any brand you will accept to make a review.
That is what I am facing now.
Thinking about having a laptop for my work.
I would take it and I would keep it.
It’s powerful, useful, and it’s free.
If you’re in technology, or technology-related business it’s not the luxury to have diverse hardware/software, just in case.
Ok, Microsoft is evil Santa, but you don’t sell yourself, still you don’t mind to have something valuable. Why not?
A lot of others just hate you for your chance to have it and keep it for free. They will not hesitate, 99.99% of them to keep it.
Look, people drive to another part of city to get $10 coupon or discount, or spent Christmas night in front of closed doors of Circuit City.
Ok, you’re different.
But believe me you need another laptop.
You don’t sell yourself, and you are not the prostitute, if you take client money and did not satisfy his/her demands. Fair game.
In my opinion, doing a competition for another blogger to win it would be best. That way two people get to see the REAL Vista truth. Whether that be good, or bad, I don’t actually know.
Watch out. It might be an Acer “Trojan horse” laptop. In the middle of the nite, little Edelman PR people might come out of it and start typing favorable posts about Microsoft on your computer before you wake up.
Wipe the thing clean, install linux, use as a web server, host part of your site on it.
Hello Om Malik,
Congrats on the notebook. Sorry to hear that you’re returning it back. Would appreciate it if you could support my blog below:
http://vistaferrari.blogspot.com/
Thanks and have a Happy New Year!
I would really like to get my hands on that. Wish MS had shipped me one. I still use my desktop to blog. Wonder if they contacted payperpost for this idea
Why would you send it back? Do you have to pay for it? Maybe you have bilions of $$$ and you don’t need ‘any’ gifts?
Or maybe you would like to feel UNIQE (“Ferrari box remains unopened.”)? People can do many (stupid) thing to be unique…
In my opinion sending it back would be stupid, not resonable move (in case if this is real FREE gift)…
You should make review (if it’s really requied) and keep it (or sell it, if you really don’t need that).
Review it and keep it. Was there really any question that tech bloggers wouldn’t have something to say about Vista one way or the other? I doubt Brian Lam of Gizmodo or Pete Rojas of Engadget were considering skipping Vista coverage altogether. Acer or no, Microsoft wouldn’t have missed out on Vista PR.
The only question here is: would Om have had anything to say about Vista if he hadn’t received the Acer? The answer to that, I think, is “I’m sure Vista would’ve come up in a post or two anyway.”
Om, keep the damn laptop, do a review if you feel like Vista warrants one, and sleep easy. Contrary to popular opinion, Microsoft isn’t run by Darth Vader and every interaction with them doesn’t require one take a shower afterward. (That’s Fox News.)
Om,
I think there is a patch for running Tiger on AMD hardware floating around the web that should work just fine on the Acer. Then you would at least be able to report on something meaningful, whilst thwarting the PR machine, and have a better machine to donate, raffle for charity, etc. I would buy several chances on that…
Hi everybody,
can someone one used laptop donate to me and I send you postcard from Serbia? 🙂
Yes!And one for me in Macedonia.If someone decide to donate laptop to me please e-mail me for more information.Thanks and God bless!!!